Louver construction



May 20, 1958 R. w. MATTHEWS 2,835,001

LOUVER CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 3, 1955 Ra/p/7 WMa ffheu/s /5 INVENTOR United States Patet LOUVER CONSTRUCTION Ralph W. Matthews, Dallas, Tex.

Application February 3, 1955, Serial No. 485,841

Claims. (Cl. 20-63) This invention relates to ventilators and louvers and more particularly to louvers designed and constructed to be readily assembled and disassembled for compact storage and shipment.

Louvers and ventilators of the type generally employed for admitting air into buildings but excluding rain are sometimes required to be quite large and unwieldly. This presents a problem for the dealer in building materials as well as the customer. The dealer dislikes to yield the space necessary for stocking these louvers and seldom handles any but the smallest sizes with the result that any customers requiring larger louvers must have them made to his own specifications at a much higher price than he would have had to pay for prefabricated louvers.

It is therefore the principal object of the invention to provide a knock-down louver which, in its disassembled state, will occupy but a fraction of the storage or shipping space required for an assembled louver.

Another object of the invention is to provide a louver of new and novel design and construction and by virtue of such design and construction, the louver is made collapsible but possesses all of the characteristics as to strength, durability and service embodied in conventional louvers.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a knock-down louver whose parts can be assembled in sections and these sections, in turn, joined one to the other to produce a complete louver of any desired dimensions.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds when considered with the annexed drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a louver constructed according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the relationship of the slats or blades in assembled position.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the louver on a reduced scale, and

Figure 4 is a front elevational view on a like scale.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference numeral 11] denotes one vertical mem ber of the louver frame while numeral 11 indicates the other vertical frame. These members are identical except for their reverse construction for the right and left sides of the louver. To complete the frame, a top member 12 and a bottom member 13 are provided, the latter constituting the lowest of a series of louver slats 14 of identical construction and which will be described in detail presently.

The vertical frame member is formed from sheet metal to define a web 14 which separates an integral return front flange 15 and a right angular, inturned rear flange 16. The bottom end of the member 10 is obliquely formed at 17 to correspond with the similarly formed lower end of the companion side member 11, which, because of its identical construction, bears reference numerals indicating features corresponding to like features of the side member 10.

"ice

The lower end of the web 14 of each of the side members 10 and 11 is extended into a tapered tab 18 which is turned upwardly flush against the outer surface of the side member and thence downwardly into parallelism with the upturned portion of the tab to produce an inclined channel19 to which further reference will be made presently.

The top member 12 of the louver is formed with downwardly turned ends 20 Whose front and rear edges are correspondingly tapered and each has a screw hole 21 which is adapted, in assembled position of the frame parts, to match a like hole 22 in the top of each side member to receive screws 23 (Figure 3). These are the only screws required to hold the louver parts together as it will be seen in the description relating to the assembling of the parts. The top member 12 is further formed with a return flange 24 along its front edge of the same width as the front flanges 15 of the side members 10 and 11 but the flange 24 is of greater length than the top member 12 so that its extended ends will overlie the upper ends of the flanges 15 of the side members for water drainage. A downwardly turned rear flange 25 is likewise formed on the rear of the top frame member 12. (Figure 1).

Except for the lowest slat 13 of the group of slots in the louver frame, the slats are identical in structure and design, hence each is indicated by the same reference numeral 26 and the features of one bear the same reference numerals as the corresponding features of the other slats of the assembly. a

The lowest slat 13 has an upturned flange or lip 27 at each end at right angles to the plane of the slat. These flanges 27 are tapered and are received in the channels 19 formed by the tapered tabs 18 at the bottom of each side member 10 and 11. The end flanges 27 of the slat or bottom member 13 bear against the inner surfaces of the side members 10 and 11 and a downwardly turned skirt portion 28 at the front of the 'slat 13 is of greater length than that of the slat itself to provide extensions 29 which are turned inwardly flush against the skirt 28 and bear against the inner surfaces of the front flanges 15 of the side members 10 and 11 in assembled relationship of the louver.

The louvers 26 between the top frame member 12 and the bottom slat 13 are all of the same construction and each has a tapered tab 30 formed on each end thereof. These tabs extend downwardly at right angles to the plane of the slat and their extremities 31 are turned inwardly into parallelism with the slat to bear flush against the next lowest slat of the group in the manner shown in Figure 2 while the outer surfaces of the tabs 30 bear against the inner surfaces of the side members 10 and 11.

The rear edges 32 of the tabs 30 are spaced inwardly of the common vertical plane of the rear edges of the slats 13 and 2s and the rear edges are turned upwardly to form the longitudinally coextensive portion 33 whose ends provide bearing surfaces in juxtaposition to the inner surfaces of the rear, inwardly turned flanges 16 of the side frame members 10 and 11. The longitudinally coextensive portions 33 of each slat has its upper edge turned inwardly to define the angular upwardly and inwardly extending portion 34 which bears at its ends against the rear edges of the tabs 30 of the next highest slat to provide a brace or stabilizer therefor.

The slats 26' each has its forward edge turned downwardly at 35 and inwardly at 36 to provide both a reinforcing medium and a water shed. Adjacent each end of eachslat, the metal is lanced out to define an upstanding ear 3'7 behind which the inturned end 31 of each tab 311 is disposed to prevent inward displacement of these tabs.

about the upper ends of the said side members.

To assemble the louver, the lowest slat 13 is first joined to the side frame members and 11 by inserting the upturned lip 27 of the slat in the inclined channels 19 formed at the bottom ends of the side members. Before inserting the slats 26, it is preferred that the upper ends of the frame members be held in fixed parallel relationship as by a jig or a cord or band (not shown) passed The slats 26 are placed successively between the side members 10 and 11 from bottom to top so that the tab ends 31 will rest behind the ears 37. When the last or topmost slat is in place, the top frame member 12 is set down onto the upper ends of the side members 10 and 11 and screws 23 are inserted through the matched holes 21 and 22 of the flanges 20 of the top member and the side members, respectively. The parts of the louver are thus securely held in assembled relationship. A wire mesh screen (not shown) may be attached to the rear of the louver, if desired, in any conventional manner.

From the foregoing, it is obviously possible to join a series of small louvers together to accommodate large openings or where the opening is triangular, two complementary sections can be produced of right angle triangu- ,lar form and joined together at their sides perpendicular to the base. I

'Manifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of some modification and such modification as may be construed to fall within the scope and meaning of the appended claims is also considered to be within the spirit and intent of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A louver in separable parts comprising a pair of vertical frame members having front and rear right angle flanges defining channels, said members being disposed with said channels in confronting relationship, a group of inclined, superimposed slats disposed between and retained by said vertical frame members, said slats each having a downwardly and inwardly turned lower edge, a downwardly directed tab formed on each end of each of said slats, the lower ends of the tabs of each slat being turned into confronting relationship and supported on the next lower slat of said group, means upstanding on each of said slats against which the inturned ends of said tabs engage to hold said tabs flush against said vertical frame members, a top horizontal frame member engaging over the upper ends of said vertical frame members, a bottom slat having means on each end interlocking means on the lower ends of said vertical frame members and combining with said top frame member to hold the parts of said louver in assembled relationship.

2. A louver in separable parts comprising a pair of vertical frame members having front and rear flanges defining channels in confronting relationship, a group of superimposed inclined slats whose ends are disposed within the confines of the channels of said frame members,

a tab formed at right angles to the plane of each slat 4 a top member extending from one to the other of said frame members at their upper ends and a bottom slat extending between and secured at its ends to said frame members at their lower ends.

3. A louver in separable parts comprising a group of inclined slats and a pair of spaced apart vertical frame members forming confronting channels in which the ends of said slats are retained, a tab integrally formed on each end of each of said slats and at right angles thereto, adapted to bear against the confronting surfaces of said frame members, and resting upon the next lower slat for holding said slats in vertically spaced relationship, the rear edge of each of said slats having an upwardly and a forwardly extending portion, said forwardly extending portion being adapted to bear at its ends against the rear edges of the tabs of the next higher slat, said upwardly extending portion being adapted to bear against the rear flanges of the channels forming said frame mem bers to hold said slats in vertically aligned relationship in said frame members and means for holding said frame members against relative outward displacement.

4. A louver in separable parts comprising a pair of vertical'fram'eimembers having front and rear right angle flanges defining channels, said members being disposed with said channelsin confronting relationship, a group of inclined, superimposed slats disposed between and retained by said vertical frame members, a downwardly directed tab formed on each end of each of said slats, the lower ends of the tabs of each slat being supported on the next lower slat of said group, means upstanding on each of said slats against which the ends of said tabs engage to hold said tabs flush against said vertical frame members, a top horizontal frame member engaging over the upper ends of said vertical frame members, a bottom slat having means on each end interlocking means on the lower ends of said vertical frame members and combining with said top frame member to hold the parts of said louver in assembled relationship.

5. A louver in separable sections comprising a pair of spaced apart frame members, each having a front and a rear coextensive flange, said flanges defining confronting channels, a group of inclined slats adapted to be disposed one above the other between said frame members and having their ends extending into said channels, a tapered tab depending from each end of each of said slats and engaging the next lower slat for holding said slats in relatively spaced relationship between said frame members,

said tabs each having an inwardly turned end, upturned ears adjacent the ends of the next lower slat against which the lower ends of said tabs engage to hold the latter against inward displacement, a top member extending between the upper ends of said frame members, a bottom slat extending between the lower ends of said frame members and means for securing said top member and said bottom slat to said frame members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

